Crushed for Stuff

Black Friday, huge crowds, discount prices, locked doors; the perfect storm. Our thoughts and prayers go out for the family of Jdimytal Damour ,in his shockingly tragic death. Damour was trampled to death beneath the rush of a crowd. Had they been fleeing a catastrophe or some terrifying event, then perhaps his death would’ve made some sense. This crowd was running for a sale. They were infused with the ‘stuff drive’. This 34 year old lost his life because of 50% off.

It’s a sign of the times. This tragedy is actually characteristic of our culture. Maybe not as obvious. Maybe not so ‘newsworthy’. But lives are often destroyed because of the ‘stuff-drive’.
In my ministry history I’ve seen heartbreaking evidences. Couples on the verge of divorce because of separate finances. A single mother ignoring an eviction notice so she could get a new weave. Economic enslavement, wanton wastefulness and purposeless pursuits. And the saga continues.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for stuff, but it ought not be our drive. In the right priority all things are beautiful, all things are lovely. God first, family second, church third, community fourth and then self. That’s the right order. That’s the way of peaceful prosperity. Any other way becomes tragic.

Eventually or evidently, subtly or obviously the All-Wise makes His point – “ And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15)”

We should master money and things rather than letting money and things master us.

I wonder if the store closed after Damour died. Even more, I wonder if those who stepped on him kept on shopping.